The other day a Steak 'n Shake worker watched me pay my tab with bitcoin. She was interested, and said, "so, is it like Venmo or PayPal?" The place was busy, and I knew I had about 30 seconds for a brief explanation before she had to get back to work. I completely blew it, mumbling something about scarcity and real money. She said "oh" and walked away.
I have heard more than once over the years that you really don't understand something unless you can explain it simply. I failed that test. I want to be better prepared next time.
Are there any workable explanations that can be delivered in 30 seconds? I know bitcoin is complicated, but I would like to have a clever response that could at least inspire more research.
In 30 seconds situation
I think it can work well if you make a clear contrast X vs Y - because that's then usually easy to comprehend.
So you could go with something like :
"Yeah, it's like Venmo, but Venmo is only for people in the US. With bitcoin you can use it anywhere in the world without extra fees. It's fully global and fully inclusive - no one is excluded"
You could answer something simple and quick:
If you want, you can have a quick second line in case the person shows more interest:
Yeah, this. But I think your answer is still too many confusing things at once.
For example, this is what I think would go through somebody with negative knowledge about bitcoin or bitcoin-adjacent things:
What's good about that?
So it's money for criminals?
I can also send transactions 24/7 online with my bank account
I don't want to be my own bank. That sounds hard.
I think I would simply answer this to "so, is it like Venmo or PayPal?"
Nobody likes Terms of Service.
And I think "Yes, but ..." works better because it makes them feel like they already kind of got it.
And to be honest, most people's experience with Bitcoin should be like Venmo or PayPal anyway, because it "just works." They never had to worry about anything else.
Thinking about it like that, you're right... I think in the end it happened to me like it did to Siggy, from another perspective sometimes it's better not to open a thread of complex concepts, but rather connect from the familiar and sow a seed of curiosity.
I have had the same challenges in the past. My personal take is to try to get Sats in their hands and hope they will go research what someone just gave them.
"You want some free Bitcoin?" can often keep their attention long enough to get a wallet setup on their phone:
#548942
I have been using CoinOS as a quick easy wallet to give them 1000 Sats.
That's a good idea. I'm not sure it would have worked in my unique situation, since her boss might have gotten angry, but that is a good plan in general.
If Boss gets angry, give the Boss some free bitcoin also!
Free Bitcoin makes everyone feel better.
I think your solution is best for really quick encounters with complete no coiners.
Speak GenZ
Bitcoin: It's like, digital cash, but built different. No cap, it's decentralized, so no main boss. Just pure internet money, secured by mad networks. The OG coin that changed the game, fr. Mad aura farming fam.
She did look really young. In fact, too young to be working. But everyone looks young when you're my age.
Probably should have just said “yes, only better” and if she was curious she would check it out or ask a coworker. Steak and shake should be educating their staff on bitcoin.
Yes. That would have been better. I really was so focused on the transaction that my head wasn't in orange pilling mode. I think @Wumbo 's idea is best- just offer to give someone 1000 sats and tell them to download a wallet before I finish my meal.
I wish someone could explain crypto in the dumbest format and very point form like three sentences lol then I would forsure get it.
I don’t know how to explain crypto what so ever.
I just have some and I like it.
It's the biggest pain in the ass thatI too can't win it over in a hurry. People here just say the UPI system is better and faster.
I pity 1.5 billion people that they have given away their economic freedom with UPI. Before it, Cash was the king in India.
Where I live it's common to give 10% tip on restaurants and the waiter usually asks if you want to give that tip, so I tell them "I'll give you something different this time" and I show them how to open a wallet at my lnbits instance and give them the equivalent in my national shitcoin (COP) but in sats. Hopefully they won't forget the access and they'll see how NGU. After that I tell them to fill their email to the account so I can give them material to study furter if they're interested.
If you want to use my lnbits instance for orange pilling purposes, please do so. I have a decently connected LN node. Drop a message at my lnurl jdiaz@bit2cash.net
Young person?
"It's like Venmo but there's no one that can tell you what to spend your money on"
Old person?
"It's like Venmo but there's no inflation"
"It is a payment system like Venmo or Paypal, but with no owners and no way to block payments"
Bitcoin is the fastest appreciating money in history.
Its a good idea to have some.
shit reason
Is it not why most people have Bitcoin?
maybe most do. but the reason is shit. I hold bitcoin to hide my wealth from the greedy bureaucrats.
Siggys question was how to orange pill a waitress in 30 seconds...
Telling her its for hiding your wealth from greedy bureaucrats might not be the thing to say in this context.
Well, telling her it is the fastest appreciating asset sounds exactly like every ponzi pitch.
Maybe but Bitcoin is not a Ponzi scheme.
You've got 30 seconds- what do you say to the waitress?
Every ponzi says it is not a ponzi.
I answered so: #1048907
If she is interested, she will have more chances to understand. Orange pilling takes time. Just the fact she is interested is the beginning.
Wow...that's not much time!
I think I'd focus on getting them an easy-to-remember name for a good youtube channel. Or maybe instagram.
Don’t be too hard on yourself. Your speech could have worked on the right person. Anyway it’s hard to come up with a tailored explanation on the fly that will pique her curiosity
When people ask me about Bitcoin, I will always say it’s another currency I get from posting stuff on SN n clicking on ads on Cointiply. Then, they might ask about off-ramping it, to which I will say nope, I would rather buy Bitrefill gift cards instead
Don’t worry—many of us fumble the first pitch! Bitcoin isn’t easy to simplify, but comparing it to 'digital gold that no one controls' is a good start. The key is sparking curiosity, not explaining everything in one go.
Doesnt matter the elevator pitch,
Just use: Magic Internet Money..
Also doesnt work, but its the coolest pitch
i do agree, probably the best reply. 'Ya, its like venmo except instead of dollars it's magic internet money'....let that percolate in their brain and see if they do their own research with that seed planted.
Hmm. I think I would've said something along the lines of "It's kind of like PayPal and Venmo, but I didn't have to create an account or link my bank account or credit card to use it. It makes me feel like I'm paying with cash." My goal here is to make it look like it's really simple to use, and get them interested in possibly setting up a wallet. Now the issue here is that actually getting to the self-custody stage is not easy at all for a total noobie.
I love these brief S&S anecdotes, it's like a serialized Dickens novel.
The absolute essential heart of btc is that it's non-governmental sound money. Is there a way to explain that in 30 seconds to a normie? Seems a bridge too far. But that would be my angle.
Sound money, not btc. Btc just looks like a shitty and over-complicated Venmo, otherwise.
30 seconds is too difficult, you did the best you could and as you get asked more times in the future, you can hone it down to a fine art.
Plus it's the same with any topic, try explaining to someone how to cook roast beef in 30 seconds, actually when you think about it, it's not as easy as it seems.
You did good 👍
30 seconds or less in a fast food line is a tough way to orange-pill. Maybe just: "Yeah, it's more than doubled in the last year." People pay attention to price. It's what sticks in their mind.
This is a great exercise. When I was on the job market, we worked a lot on our elevator pitches, to explain our dissertations very briefly. We'd practice 2 min, 3 min, 5 min versions and target them at different audiences.
It's hard to do this on the fly with a complex topic, especially when the salient points vary by who's listening.
For that situation something like "Yes, it is similar to those, but bitcoin doesn't lose value over time like your dollars do." might have been the way to go. If you don't know that people care about the more ideological benefits of bitcoin, just stick to the benefits to the user.
hm good point.
maybe leverage people's disdain for banks
That sounds like a good challenge. In a few concise sentences give a brief explanation of Bitcoin.
Saying it's a decentralized, immutable, distributed etc... is a bit too much info for a brief encounter.
Something like it's my savings account, it's instant, theres no company behind it etc might hit harder.
Digital cash, limited supply, outta government control.
5 seconds!
I'm pretty sure you will be better prepared next time!
This time maybe your emotions (maybe caused by "she"? ;) ) made you to not communicate